Beginning 2015 in Prayer

As we kick off 2015 we are going to spend the month in prayer. There is so much going on in the world, in churches and in our personal lives that need prayed over that we are devoting this month’s theme to prayer. We will be writing about prayer and helping equip you in your prayer life but more than that…this month’s issue is a call to pray.

One of the things that draws me to the Restorative Movement is our affinity for the Bible. I am an information junkie. Raw data thrills me as does the desire to know things as completely as possible. We are such a cognitive movement…we want the facts…and so we should. But we cannot be satisfied with information for information’s sake. Often our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness. As we lean into our greatest characteristics imbalance often occurs leaving us lopsided and incomplete.

We must seek God. We must know, not just who God is, but actually know God. Stated more directly, we need both knowledge and experience with God just as we would with a spouse or a child. If you are anything like me, the trap that we can too easily find ourselves is that the search for information can become an end unto itself. It becomes our heart’s desire rather than the God behind the information. It is like knowing your spouse solely based on their facebook profile…it doesn’t make for a happy or healthy marriage. Living with your spouse day in and day out…sacrificing for them, loving them and being present with them is essential for a meaningful relationship. The same is true with God…facts alone won’t cut it. The all out pursuit of information often results in people discounting experience and elevating rationality and cerebrality to the point of being the end all, be all of faith. Our prayers can become just as impersonal as our study and our spiritual lives ultimately run dry. We must know God, through His word, and we must know God on a personal (even experiential) level.

That is where prayer comes in. Prayer is by its very nature experiential. It is something that must be done and it must be done in concert with a God who listens. That means prayer is not just experiential in the sense of someone experiencing something apart from any and everyone else. Prayer is experiential and relational because we pray to a God who hears us.

In Tim Keller’s new book on prayer he addresses the need for balancing truth from scripture with a real by pointing us to the writing of John Owen,

“Where light leaves the affections behind, it ends in formality and or atheism; where affections outrun light they sink into the bog of superstition, doting on images and pictures or the like.” – John Owen

By ‘light’ Owen means our knowledge of right teaching or doctrine. Our doctrinal and biblical knowledge cannot ‘leave the affections behind.’ If we believe with our minds that God is holy, we must also come to find his holiness enjoyable and satisfying just to praise it. If we believe the great God of the universe really loves us, it should make us emotionally unshakable in the face of criticism, suffering and death. In short, we must be able to existentially access our doctrinal convictions. If doctrinal soundness is not accompanied by heart experience, it will lead eventually to nominal Christianity-that is, in name only-and eventually to non-belief. The irony is that many conservative Christians, most concerned about conserving true and sound doctrine, neglect the importance of prayer and make no effort to experience God, and this can lead to the eventual loss of sound doctrine. Owen believes that Christianity without real experience of God will eventually be no Christianity at all.

Still, there is a danger in the other direction. ‘Affections can outrun light,’…It is possible to use techniques of meditation and imagination to create changes in consciousness that are not tied at all to the reality of who God is…you can imagine [Jesus] coming into some past incident in your life, intervening, defending you, and embracing you. In such an exercise it would be easy to put words in Jesus’ mouth that directly contradict his teaching in the Bible.”

Keller’s point is that ignoring scripture for the sake of experience has big problems as does ignoring experience and clinging solely to mastering the facts. Experience cannot be put on the same truth level as scripture and neither can scripture be put in a vaccuum so that experience is never able to intersect with the truths found in it. Extreme progressivism and extreme conservatism can both result in leaving God behind. We must find balance.

Prayer is an essential component of meaningful experience with God. It must be a priority in the life of the child of God. It is essential to maintaining our relationship with God. Don’t just study the Word…pray over the Word and let the Word speak over your prayers and be spoken in your prayers.

Prayer is essential to repentance and to character formation. Later in Keller’s book he states, “if the affections of the heart are not engaged in prayer, real character change and growth in Christ-likeness is impossible. We cannot settle for less.” If you asked around to find out Christians’ opinion on what it takes to bring about real change and growth in our lives I suspect many people would put Bible reading ahead of prayer but maybe we missed something in giving 90% of our attention to the text and 10% to most everything else (or however you think those numbers should be). Again, the call is for balance.

Last, a word about prayer in social media and personal conversations. As we engage in theological discussions both online and in person and I often wonder how many of us take a moment to pray things over before we talk things over. Prayer forces us to slow down. Prayer requires us to focus beyond ourselves and consider what it is God has in mind. Prayer should be at the core of our relationship with God and others because prayer centers us and founds us in the reality that we are not the ultimate authority but we know the One who is and he is freely approached by every last one of us when we take the time to pray.

So let us set our minds and our thoughts on God and let the result of that focus lead us to pray. Let us pray for each other…for those we agree with and those we do not. Let us pray for our own inner transformation and growth, that God might transform us more and more into the likeness of Christ. Let us pray for wisdom and understanding. Let us pray for unity and for peace.

I want to close praying over all of you who are reading this article the prayer Paul prayed over the Ephesian Christians in Ephesians 1:15-23,

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Prayer is a human speaking to God. Prayer is not instructive, for God already knows everything. Bible reading lets God speak to us. Meditating is thinking about what GOD SAID as well as what we are thinking and have thought. It’s a mistake to think God speaks to us as we pray.

An additional comment. For shame to the translators who capitalize “spirit” every time they see it. The author of the Bible passage speaks of a “spirit of wisdom and revelation.” The translator capitalizes and completely changes the meaning of what Paul wrote. Many are wise who do not know God. A spirit of wisdom is a good goal for every person, those in Christ who have received God’s Spirit as a result of turning to Jesus, and those outside Christ as well. But note that the Spirit is God’s gift to those who turn to JESUS as Lord and obey the gospel. And the promise is sure, not something we need to later seek.

Great points, Ray. But, when you say that “the Spirit is God’s gift to those who turn to JESUS as Lord and obey the gospel”, technically, the text says that the promise is ” the gift of” the Spirit, and not “the Spirit”.

I prefer ESV so saw at least one which was wrongly capitalizing “spirit.” Here is a list prepared by Bible Gateway:

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En Español
Ephesians 1:17 (KJ21) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
Ephesians 1:17 (ASV) | In Context | Whole Chapter(American Standard adds a “the” which is not in the Greek)

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;
Ephesians 1:17 (AMP) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,
Ephesians 1:17 (CEB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you.
Ephesians 1:17 (CJB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the glorious Father, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you will have full knowledge of him.
Ephesians 1:17 (CEV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God.
Ephesians 1:17 (DARBY) | In Context | Whole Chapter Darby puts the Spirit into the verse.

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give you [the] spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of him,
Ephesians 1:17 (DLNT) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him
Ephesians 1:17 (DRA) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation, in the knowledge of him:
Ephesians 1:17 (ERV) | In Context | Whole Chapter added “the”

17 I always pray to the great and glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that he will give you the Spirit, who will let you know truths about God and help you understand them, so that you will know him better.
Ephesians 1:17 (ESV) | In Context | Whole Chapter — my choice, ESV, rewrites the apostolic prayer. I assumed many would also do so. I’m glad to discover that most simply translate.

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
Ephesians 1:17 (ESVUK) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
Ephesians 1:17 (EXB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you ·a spirit of wisdom [or spiritual wisdom; or the Spirit of wisdom] and revelation so that you will know him better.
Ephesians 1:17 (GNV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, that Father of glory, might give unto you the Spirit of wisdom, and revelation through the knowledge of him,
Ephesians 1:17 (GW) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Christ better.
Ephesians 1:17 (GNT) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 and ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know him.
Ephesians 1:17 (HCSB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
Ephesians 1:17 (ISV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the most glorious Father, would give you a wise spirit, along with revelation that comes through knowing the Messiah fully.
Ephesians 1:15-19 (PHILLIPS) | Whole Chapter
I thank God for you, and pray for you

15-19 Since, then, I heard of this faith of yours in the Lord Jesus and the practical way in which you are expressing it towards fellow-Christians, I thank God continually for you and I never give up praying for you; and this is my prayer. That God, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and the all-glorious Father, will give you spiritual wisdom and the insight to know more of him: that you may receive that inner illumination of the spirit which will make you realise how great is the hope to which he is calling you—the magnificence and splendour of the inheritance promised to Christians—and how tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God.
Ephesians 1:17 (JUB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;
Ephesians 1:17 (KJV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Ephesians 1:17 (AKJV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Ephesians 1:17 (LEB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him
Ephesians 1:16-17 (TLB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

16-17 I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that he has done for you.
Ephesians 1:15-19 (MSG) | Whole Chapter

15-19 That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
Ephesians 1:17 (MEV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
Ephesians 1:17 (MOUNCE) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the glorious Father, the God of our Lord Yeshua Christ, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Christ better.
Ephesians 1:17 (NABRE) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.
Ephesians 1:17 (NASB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
Ephesians 1:17 (NCV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you will know him better.
Ephesians 1:17 (NET) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him,
Ephesians 1:17 (NIRV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the glorious Father. I keep asking him to give you the wisdom and understanding that come from the Holy Spirit. I want you to know God better.
Ephesians 1:17 (NIV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Ephesians 1:17 (NIVUK) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Ephesians 1:17 (NKJV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
Ephesians 1:17 (NLV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you the wisdom of His Spirit. Then you will be able to understand the secrets about Him as you know Him better.
Ephesians 1:17 (NLT) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
Ephesians 1:17 (NRSV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,
Ephesians 1:17 (NRSVA) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,
Ephesians 1:17 (NRSVACE) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,
Ephesians 1:17 (NRSVCE) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,
Kehillah in Ephesus 1:17 (OJB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 That Hashem of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua, the Avi Hakavod, may give to you a ruach of chochmah and hisgalus (revelation) in the da’as (knowledge) of Moshiach.[SHEMOT 28:3; YESHAYAH 11:2]
Ephesians 1:17 (RSV) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
Ephesians 1:17 (RSVCE) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
Ephesians 1:17 (VOICE) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 God of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, Father of Glory: I call out to You on behalf of Your people. Give them minds ready to receive wisdom and revelation so they will truly know You.
Ephesians 1:17 (WEB) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;
Ephesians 1:17 (WE) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 I ask him that you may understand these things in your hearts. I ask him that you may know what a great hope you have because God has called you. I ask him that you may know the rich and great blessings God has promised to his people.
Ephesians 1:17 (WYC) | In Context | Whole Chapter

17 that God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give to you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation, into the knowing of him;
Ephesians 1:17 (YLT) | In Context | Whole Chapter

I have several translations available at BIBLEGATEWAY, so have sent the entire list for examination. Since my usual choice is the English Standard Version, I figured many would translate wrongly as the ESV does. You are right that FEW change what the apostle wrote in this verse. But few is more than none, of course.

The only way to tell which spirit it is, is via context. Since this is a “spirit of wisdom and revelation” it makes some think that this is not our spirit but God’s Spirit or the Holy Spirit. If you don’t agree with that, then the question you have to wrestle with is how can our spirit in any way be a spirit of revelation? In scripture revelation always comes from God, not from us. That is what is in play here. What do you think?

It’s good for us to realize that every Christian is promised that as they were baptized into Christ they THEN received God’s gift of His Spirit. Would the apostle later be praying that God would give His Spirit to one who already had received it? No, it’s obvious that in this passage the spirit in reference is NOT the Holy Spirit which every Christian already possesses. Instead it’s a “spirit of wisdom and revelation” relative to our need of humility and a desire to learn more and more from our loving Father. Your comment seems to ignore that every Christian HAS ALREADY BEEN GIVEN the Holy Spirit.

Matt, I agree with Ray. I have had the same frustration and believe that many have been confused because of it (I know I have).

And while I’m not a fan of the paraphrase “bibles”, I believe this interpretation of the NLT might be worthy of considering, here:

Ephesians 1:17 NLT

asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

Paul was praying for the Ephesians to have their eyes/understanding opened and enlightened. He was praying for them to have a proper attitude and disposition and ” spirit” in order to accept and understand the things that were being revealed unto them “through” revelation. The revelation being delivered to them via Paul (in this case).

Consider — Ephesians 3:2-6 KJV

If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

There, he said that they would be able to understand the mystery of the things now being revealed by reading what he had written them.

But, to do so, they would need to have the proper attitude and spirit. He wasn’t praying them to receive anything they would had already received by means of becoming a Christian. I know you believe that the Ephesians were “given the Spirit” when they became Christians, right? Surely, he was not praying for them to be give that which was already given them? That’s why I understand the “spirit” to be oftentimes more accurately lower cased 😉

I didn’t answer your question…we certainly receive the Holy Spirit at our baptism. It is not impossible, however, for God to use the Spirit to impart various things into the life of the Christian.

One verse you may want to look at is Colossians 1:9 – “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.”

The NRSV reads a little more in line with the Greek in that last phrase,

“For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s[d] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

For Paul things that are “spiritual” are almost always of the Holy Spirit and not just spiritual in the sense of non-physical.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

The one who is “spiritual” and exhibits the “spirit of meekness” is acting “of” or “in accordance with” the HS. But, the spirit if meekness is not the actual Hold Spirit. It is an attitude. Its being “spiritual” as opposed to unspiritual and/or carnal.

In fact, this Galatian passage I believe is similar to what Paul was praying for the Ephesians. Namely, that they be “spiritual”.

Yep…that works well in Galatians 6:1. I am just pointing out that it is entirely possible as Christians to receive something from the Spirit without receiving the Spirit again/anew. Jesus told us the Spirit would supply us with various things as does Paul.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

The one who is “spiritual” and exhibits the “spirit of meekness” is acting “of” or “in accordance with” the HS. But, the spirit of meekness is not the actual Holy Spirit. It is an attitude. It’s being “spiritual” as opposed to unspiritual and/or carnal.

In fact, this Galatian passage I believe is similar to what Paul was praying for the Ephesians. Namely, that they be “spiritual.”
It appears to me that some are TOO eager to insert the Holy Spirit into every discussion. “Spiritual” may refer to human spirituality. It doesn’t always refer to God’s Spirit. That’s in apostolic writing no less than in our writings.

I agree. Also, I believe people (the children if God) can be given things of the Spirit as well as produce things of Spirit, without having to be given any (or more) of the actually HilybSpirit himself. Take the OT saints (prior to Pentecost), they could all produce the fruit “of the Spirit” and not have to be first given the actual 3rd person if the godhead to do so. So could they be “spiritual” and have a “spirit of meekness”.

Seems like (to me) that the NIV knew it could not call the “spirit of the mind” the Holy Spirit. That the responsibility was the Ephesians, for them to put off their old selves and to put on the new man. It was THEIR responsibility and Paul’s prayer for them. The NIV (here) knew it was their own job to renew their attitudes (spirit of the mind). Of course, they would do that by remembering what they had been taught.

But, the NLT just continues on and in a forced way, make the job belong to the Holy Spirit himself again..